King Benjamin
King Benjamin Florian (better known as Ben) is a character who appears in the Disney film Descendants, portrayed by Mitchell Hope. He is the son of Belle and Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Background Official Disney Bio :Poised to take the throne, he makes his first proclamation and offers a chance at redemption to Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay when they are given a chance to attend Auradon Prep. Unlike his peers, he does not fear the trouble-making teens and embraces them as friends while he helps them navigate the unfamiliar land where goodness runs rampant. Personality Ben is a sweet natured man that feels pity for the children of villains and was willing to give them a second chance when not even his own parents were willing to give them the chance. He seems to take after his father in looks and his mother in personality as he is more willing to see people past their appearances (similarly to how his mother saw beneath the Beast's exterior) along with having a love of reading and books and a gentle soul. In addition, out of all the AKs, he is the one most on the side of the VKs, usually being the first to approach and defend them and try to socialize and have a conversation with them, particularly with Mal. He seemed to have a fascination with Mal the moment he first saw her, and it seems the feeling is mutual especially since both had a dream about the other before meeting with them. Even after being given a love potion by her, when it washed off he believed she loved him but didn't think it could happen by itself especially since he was dating Audrey at the time, he still grew to love her and wanted to be with her. He is very friendly and an honest person who believes in the good in others. He is fair and patient with the VKs, understanding that they have had it much rougher than others like at his school and willing to work with them and do whatever it took to have them trust him (such as helping Carlos with his dog phobia and eating a cookie Mal gave him). Despite this, he does seem to have low self confidence as he sometimes isn't sure if he is cut out to be king and wishes for his parents' particularly his father's) approval. He also believes who a person's parents are doesn't make them who they are and that is what makes him and Mal so similar. In Wicked World, he is shown to be mildly naive and a goody two shoes, becoming distraught after he broke a cup in episode 4 and offering to pay Freddie for damages and in episode 5 when he and the others were transported into Jordan's lamp, he concluded they must be tiny (showing he is slightly slow). He is also a gentleman, once offering to take off his jacket and put it over a puddle of mud so Audrey, Mal, and Evie wouldn't get dirty. He also seems to be influenced by Mal as he lied to Jay to get him to stop bugging him in episode 10, causing Mal to feel further attracted to him. Overall, he is a kind compassionate intelligent person willing to give anyone and everyone a chance. On a side note, despite being the main prince in the franchise, he takes on the role that is more typical of a princess (or rather the role of his mother) as he tends to be kidnapped like in episode 16 of Wicked World and when Maleficent froze everyone he tried to save them but Mal, Carlos, Evie, and Jay were the ones to save everyone. Appearances ''Descendants One month before being coronated King, Ben informs his parents of his first royal decree: to give the children of the Isle of the Lost a chance at redemption and to attend Auradon Prep. To ensure the safety of both his plan and the citizens, he decides to start small with the children who need the help most - Carlos, Jay, Evie and Mal. He tries his best to befriend them and help, but his girlfriend Audrey is completely unwelcoming and takes him away, forcing Doug to take care of the tour and explanations. Having been told how terrible Maleficent was in the past, Ben attempts reaching out to Mal the most. Because of this, he begins developing affection for her. He also helps get both Jay and Carlos on the Tourney Team. Unaware of the kids' mission to steal Fairy Godmother's wand, Ben is tricked by Mal into eating a cookie laced with love potion. This actually proves helpful as this allows him to break up with Audrey and date Mal, finding they have more in common. On a date, Ben swims in an enchanted lake, which removes the love spell from him. After Mal attempts to save him, thinking he drowned, he tells her that he can see her inner goodness is stronger than the evil she's descended from. He continues faking being under the spell, but genuinely shows love for her as the day of his coronation nears. On the day he is to be crowned king, Ben rides in a carriage with Mal, who gives him a cupcake with the antidote in it. He eats it too early, then reveals that he has been free from the spell since their first date, and forgives her for her doing because he believed that she did not believe they could be together as long as he was with Audrey. When she questions whether he'd been faking his affection, he reveals that he's truly in love with her as he gives her his signet ring. During the ceremony, Jane steals the wand to use its magic to improve her looks. Unfortunately, the wand unleashes a blast of magic that undoes the barrier around the Isle of the Lost, allowing Maleficent to escape and attempt stealing the wand. Ben talks Mal into listening to her heart, which subsequently convinces the others to do the same thing. They all decide to be good people of Auradon moments before Maleficent arrives and freezes everyone in the hall. Ben is left happily surprised when the spell is undone thanks to Mal, Jay, Evie and Carlos, who used their combined goodness to shrink Dragon Maleficent to the size of gecko. They then proceed to celebrate their victory in the courtyard of Auradon Prep. Descendants: Wicked World Ben returns in the animated short series ''Descendants: Wicked World, voiced by Mitchell Hope who also portrayed him in the live-action film. Printed material ''Descendants: Isle of the Lost In the prelude novella, Ben is holding a council meeting in his father's stead. He is extremely anxious because it is his first time to hold a meeting. Despite encouragement from both Belle and Beast, the meeting goes horribly wrong and Ben loses his temper. In the end, Ben manages to find a solution to the problems and invites Grumpy to a one-on-one meeting, believing that it would be better that way and solves the situation peacefully. He then comes to believe in himself as the King that he is instead of the King everyone expects him to be. Like Mal, he has dreamt about being on the Isle of the Lost where he meets a strange girl with mischievous eyes and purple hair. While singing ''Once Upon a Dream on his date with Audrey, Aurora's daughter, Ben realizes the relevance between the song and his dream. This novella also explains the reason to why he feels pity for the children on the Isle of the Lost. Like them, he was born into his life, where everything was taken care of for him. Though he is proud to be his parents' son and the future king of Auradon, he also felt trapped and started imagining how it would feel like for those children, who even had lesser choices than him. Relationships Mal: He seemed to be attracted to her the first moment they met. Mal nonetheless was more focused on getting the wand and once told Jane and Evie that she thought love and getting a boyfriend were stupid and that she didn't need them. He frequently tried to approach and be friendly with the VKs, but was most friendly with Mal. Interesting the two both had a dream about the other before ever meeting each other. When Mal learned Ben his family and his girlfriend get to be near the wand, she immediately tried to entice Ben by making a love potion cookie and giving it to him. When he ate it, it had an extremely strong effect and he proclaimed his love for her after the Tourney team victory. She accepted and when the two went on their first date. During the date, the two got to know each other and Ben saw the goodness within Mal and advised her they didn't have to follow their parent's footsteps. Mal even began questioning whether to follow the goodness inside her or follow her mother's footsteps and when he seemed to be drowning, she risked drowning herself to save him since she didn't know how to save. While the potion washed off Ben, he still loved her and decided to remain in a relationship with her. Mal thought since their parents would kill them if she and the VKs didn't go through with the plan, she figured the least she could do was erase his feelings. However, during the parade she learned he knew he was under a potion which washed off but still loved her. She admitted she was happy being with him and being at Auradon and decided to stay and be good. The two have since remained a couple. In Wicked World, the two are shown to flirt with Mal often complimenting on how cute he is and being impressed when he lied to Jay, while Ben encourages her to do her best and being a good person. The two shared a romantic dance in episode16 and when he was kidnapped she was extremely worried and happy upon learning he was safe. The two are still in a relationship in Return to Isle of the Lost. Audrey: The two used to date, but it seemed like a mostly one sided relationship throughout the film when the two were still together, as shown in the beginning where she proclaimed to be his girlfriend and he seemed uncomfortable around her and didn't care much for holding hands or being close. She also didn't share his views of being fair to the VKs and when he dumped her for Mal, she seemed heartbroken but tried to make him jealous with Chad, which failed. In Wicked World, the two seem to be good friends and when they went to the Isle of the Lost, she often held onto him for protection and neither Ben nor Mal seemed against it (possibly since she has given up on him and just wanted to be safe). Evie: She seemed to be attracted to him due to his looks, kindness and status as a prince but lost interest when learning he was in a relationship with Audrey and switched her focus to Chad. However, the two seem to be on good terms. In Wicked World, the two were voted king and queen of the Neon Lights Ball, though she left him to admire herself in the mirror with her crown. Carlos: He helped cure his fear of dogs and the two seem to be good friends, though he wasn't above letting Jay beat him for not helping them in episode 10. Jay: The two seem to be good friends as the two have interacted postiveily with each other. Jordan: The two knew each other since they were four but Ben can't seem to remember her name. Gallery Trivia *According to the film, his middle name is Florian. He is captain of the Tourney Team, and he is 16 years old. *In the prequel book, at the end (which takes place right before the film), it is revealed he had a dream of being inside the Isle of the Lost and meeting a purple-haired green-eyed girl. Mal also had a dream, set near the Enchanted Lake and being "on the stone floor of an ancient temple ruin" with Ben (whom she never met or seen prior to the dream and meeting him). **The prelude also confirms that Ben takes after his mother more than his father; he shares her interests in books and reading, and is more of a gentle soul in comparison to his father. *Since Mal is 16-years-old, and Ben is "turning 16" by the time he makes his proclamation, Ben is younger than her by a few to several months. *Near the end of the film, Ben reveals that he didn't fake his affection for Mal after the love spell was washed away in the Enchanted Lake. *In 'Disney Descendants Yearbook', Ben's "Secret Wish" is to live happily ever after while his "Not-so-secret Wish" is to see everyone in Auradon treated the same, regardless of what their parents have done in the past. *Ben has never been inside a lamp before. *Similar to names of Maleficent and Mal using the root word "mal-" based off the word "malevolent" meaning "bad" and/or "evil", Ben's name serves as a contrast using the root word "ben-" from the word "benevolent" which means "kind and generous" like how the character is portrayed. *In the song,"Did I Mention",Ben says this line,"I Dream of you everyday,"which is a reference to The Isle of the Lost,since Ben had a dream being with a purple haired girl. Category:Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Male Characters Category:New generation Category:Hero kids Category:Sons Category:Princes Category:Kings Category:Auradon Students Category:Descendants: Wicked World Characters Category:Tourney Players